


A Few Sincere Words

by FujurPreux



Category: Fringe, Transformers: Prime
Genre: Crossover, Gen, Mentions of graphic violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-17
Updated: 2013-08-29
Packaged: 2017-12-25 00:52:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/946731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FujurPreux/pseuds/FujurPreux
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Timeline: Early second season for Fringe. Around the middle of the first season for Prime.<br/>The Fringe Team goes to Jasper, Nevada, to conduct an investigation. The find a lot more than they bargained for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"Here we are," Peter said as he stepped out of the black van. "And it's all my fault."

"Don't be so hard on yourself," Olivia replied. She had already left the vehicle. The Fringe Science Team arrived to Jasper, Nevada a good half hour earlier than expected. They still had to find the hotel, but she needed to stretch her legs, after all that time on the airplane and the car. "Maybe we will find something worthy." She paused. "Peter, can you get now a more specific location of the computer we're looking for?"

Peter scratched his eyebrow. "That's the thing: I did it on a fluke the first time. I happened to have the right page opened at the right time with the right program opened while thinking the right sequence of keystrokes. One second later, all traces were already gone. I was very lucky to be able to point out this side of the country to begin with, never mind the town. And, while I’m giving my professional opinion, I still think there are other departments more suited to investigate this than us."

"I keep telling you both," Walter interrupted. "If it was a matter of simple image manipulation, why would anyone bother to replace them? You said so yourself, Peter: cleaning up every trace of anything on the Internet is hard to do and too much work. I have to believe you because I barely know anything about the Internet, and since I believe you, there has to be something about those vehicles without drivers for someone to take that much effort to hide them from the public eye. It could be anything from some kind of invisibility cloak to extraterrestrial technology. And I think finding this out is a good use of our time. Oh, good, an ice cream parlor," he added cheerfully when he saw one across the street. "I think I'll have one."

"One day, I'm going to find out how he convinced Broyles about this," Peter said as he followed his father. "I'll ask for directions to the hotel."

Olivia smiled back, nodding. She remained on the street, her eyes on the road. How Walter convinced Broyles about this investigation was a mystery, indeed. But a hacker who could delete all the information about specific files could be doing who knows what else on the side. Or later on. Someone had to check it out, that much was true, and apparently Walter thought they were having a slow month.

Peter had been trying to track this person for a while now—a hobby of sorts quite popular in certain underground forums—, and three days ago he had finally managed to pinpoint the area surrounding Jasper. He, then, celebrated his success within Walter's earshot. And here they were.

On the bright side, it was nice to take a case where there hadn't been any deaths. Yet. That they knew of. But if they could prevent any from happening, it would be all for the better.

Jasper seemed a quiet little town. Nevertheless, it was a fact that even quieter and nicer towns could have horrible, dark secrets. Anything could happen anywhere, even if she hoped it wasn't the case here. Nor anywhere else, for that matter.

A bell rang in the nearby school. Children came out from the building, providing the streets with sound and movement. Some kids walked home. Others were being picked up by their parents. Some of the older ones had their own vehicles. Olivia spotted a nice-looking blue motorcycle parked outside the school. Although the boy who went to it didn't look remarkable at all. Except that he didn't look like the kind of kid able to afford that kind of ride.

Then, a yellow muscle car showed up.

"Peter!" Olivia called.

Peter came out form the ice cream parlor holding some napkins. "What is it?"

"That car over there. Isn't that the one in the photographs?"

Peter frowned. "It does look like it. Do you think we should go ask?"

"Is it? Really?" Walter asked. There was strawberry ice cream on the tip of his nose. "You see, Peter? The tracking you did was very good!" he added, his voice full of pride.

Peter, in turn, handed him one of the napkins and told him to clean up.

One child, thick glasses, about twelve years old, got inside the yellow car on the passenger side. The door opened only for a second, but Olivia noticed no one else in the driving seat. The car drove off without anyone else getting inside.

"Let's follow it." Olivia said. She went back to the van and started the engine.

Walter clapped his hands. "How exciting! Are we engaging in a high-speed chase?"

"I hope not, Walter," Peter replied.

Olivia's eyes were on the yellow car ahead, but she still pictured clearly the look of disillusionment on the old man's face in her mind.

She kept a good distance from the yellow car, but soon it became clear she'd overestimated both the number of black vans in town and the volume of the traffic. That's what happens when you're used to big cities, she sighed.

The yellow car began to take weird turns, avoiding all red lights, even going through the same streets more than once. It was making sure they were following it.

Olivia only pressed harder. There was no visible driver, but someone smart enough was in control. And there was a child in there. He had gotten inside by his own free will, apparently, but how to tell?

When the yellow car found a way to hit the road, it hit it hard. Once freed from the restrictions of the town, Walter's dream of a high-speed chase came true.

The van didn't have anything on the power of the yellow car's engine, but the road was as flat as it was long, and the day was clear. Olivia wasn't going to lose it that easily. She kept on going, as fast as she could.

Olivia was so focused on the pursue of her target she gasped loudly when a huge, green metallic wall appeared out of nowhere.

"Olivia, look out!" Peter yelled at the exact same moment she hit the breaks. The van stopped before a crash, but just barely.

The metallic wall turned out to be a truck. A big, green truck with tinted windows, that showed up in the middle of the desert to stop them cold from following the yellow driverless car.

Olivia noticed Walter reassuring Peter that he was fine as she jumped down the vehicle, her gun at the ready. "FBI! Stop right there!" she ordered just as the green truck began to speed away. She didn't bother with another warning. Instead, she aimed at the truck's wheels. She was about to shoot when a blue motorcycle passed next to her, throwing her out of balance.

"Are you alright?" Peter asked.

"Yeah," Olivia said. She hadn't fallen down and wasn't hurt, so she picked herself up quickly. She looked around. There was no sign of neither the cars nor the motorcycle. "Where are they?"

"I have no idea."

Good, now they were in the middle of the desert with the distinct certainty that there was a handful of people involved who didn't want them poking their nose. Their unknown antagonists hadn't attack them per se, but the warning had been clear. She sighed and put her gun away.

"Did you see that?" Walter asked. He was as excited as only he could be. "After they got you distracted, they ran behind that rock over there." He pointed at their left.

"That rock is too narrow to hide them," Peter said.

"I know! Let me finish! When they went behind that rock, there was a flash of green light and now they're gone!"

Olivia looked at the ground. "Well, the tracks do point that way," she said, and began walking. The others followed. Walter carried a bag with some equipment.

The tracks did stop behind that rock. As Walter had said, the yellow car, the green truck and the blue motorcycle had just disappeared.

Walter began to take some measurements while Olivia sent the license numbers to Astrid. She didn't expect to find anything useful, but it didn't hurt to try.

"Did you find anything, Walter?" she asked.

"There is some residual energy but it's fading already. It'll be all gone by the time I get more precise equipment."

"What now?" Peter asked. "We've lost the element of surprise, and they've seen our faces. We're clearly at a disadvantage here."

"Maybe. But we've also seen something about them."

"You mean that kid? I'm going to go on a limb here and say that he does look nerdy enough to do the swapping."

"Looks aren't all. But yeah, I was thinking the same."

"Agent Dunham is right, Peter. Looks aren't all. Just look at you! You don't look like a nerd at all!" Walter said.

"Does that mean I'm a nerd, Walter?"

Walter shrugged. "Well…"

Peter looked at his father like he didn't know whether to feel flattered or annoyed or both. As usual.

"Come on," Olivia said. "We'll go back to the school and see what we can find out about those kids."

"Those kids?" Peter said.

"Yeah. I saw the one driving the motorcycle back in town, before he put on a helmet."

"Very well, then." Peter helped Walter into the van yet again. "Let's see what we can find."

*

A couple of hours later, the Fringe Team had gathered a great deal of information.

The kids in question, Rafael Esquivel and Jack Darby, were unlikely friends who began to hang around not that long ago, nobody knew why exactly. There was a third member in their group, a girl named Miko Nakadai, an exchange student, who—according to witnesses—was usually picked up from school by someone in a big, green truck with tinted windows. The three of them had been mostly loners until they became friends. Which was around the time Jack got the blue motorcycle. On top of that, young Esquivel was a computer genius, never seen without his laptop.

"I'm pretty sure the hacking began around that time too," Peter said, drinking the last of his milkshake through a straw. The group was in a small restaurant eating and discussing their next move. "Do we go to the parents?"

Olivia picked up one of the sheets of paper on the table. "I honestly doubt they know much, but we do have to talk with the children. Let's go to the Darbys first. The sooner the better, since they already saw us."

As they were leaving the restaurant, Astrid called. "The motorcycle is registered under the name of Jack Darby, a teenager of Jasper," she informed. "The other two cars are registered to a William Fowler. He's in the military. I sent you an e-mail with his more details about him."

Olivia winced inwardly. The army, just what they needed. Even if it only was this one guy, it wouldn't be pleasant.

"Thank you, Astrid, I'll check it out."

"Agent Dunham, may I speak with agent Farnsworth for a moment, please? It's important."

Olivia handed him the phone. "Sure."

And, thus, Walter began to give Astrid instructions he had just remembered for the proper care of Gene.

"I'm sure she already knows, Walter," Peter said. He tried to remove Olivia's phone from his father's grip—probably to apologize to Astrid—, but Walter waltzed away and gave one final instruction: Astrid was to look for a certain energy signature that could have appeared at random in random locations, possibly near Jasper, possibly not. She was to recruit Nina Sharp if necessary given the magnitude of the task. Walter said his goodbyes, reminded Astrid about milking the cow and hung up.

"Just a hunch," he said, giving Olivia his phone back. "I think that might be the frequency of the teleporter we faced earlier in the day, to have shown a green light." He hopped into the van. "Now, do we continue? Maybe we'll get another exciting high-speed chase!"

Two blocks away from the restaurant, Walter began to doze off. Olivia watched him nodding off in the rear mirror.

"I can take you back to the hotel," she said to Peter. "I'll handle the questioning."

"Are you sure," he asked.

"Poor Walter has had his share of excitement today, and this the boring part. Besides, there's something I need you to do for me, Peter."

Olivia told him about Fowler and asked him to get an interview with him as soon as possible.

Peter nodded. "Good. Leave that to me."

Next, after filled up the van's tank of gas, Olivia was one block away from the Darbys home when she saw the Darby boy and blue motorcycle coming down the same street on the opposite direction. They both stopped when they saw each other. Olivia considered stepping down from the van showing her hands saying she only wanted to talk when the motorcycle turned around and drove away.

It hadn't been the boy who made it turn. The motorcycle turned the handlebars on its own. The kid had barely enough time to hold onto it to avoid falling down to the ground. Olivia narrowed her eyes.

She apologized silently to Walter as her second high-speed chase of the day began.

*

It didn't take long for Olivia to realize the motorcycle was only leading her away from the house, not trying to escape. It wasn't going as fast as it could have, and it only took turns the bulkier van could take as well. Olivia wasn't willing to go straight into a trap, especially now that she was by herself, but things were getting murkier by the second. She needed answers and she would get them.

They soon were on the road again. Olivia payed attention all around her, to avoid being ambushed again. She knew chances were that would amount to nothing, given their abilities to teleport, but that was what she could do.

Ten minutes later, they were again in the middle of the desert. The motorcycle's friends hadn't showed up yet, and there hadn't been any green lights the likes Walter had described. It had been a while since the last time they'd met other vehicles, so it wasn't that. They were all alone. 

Until an F-16 showed up.

Given recent developments, a military aircraft getting in the mix wasn't that surprising. Nor that it descended toward them. Then, the jet started shooting at the motorcycle.

That, of course, was nothing compared to when the jet transformed into a gray, bipedal robot as it landed in front of them.

"Well, well, Autobot," he said with a low voice that sounded male and too human-like for Olivia's taste. "How nice of you and your friends to show up when I'm having a bad day." He raised up his arm, were a missile was clearly visible, and aimed it at Olivia's van.

Before he could launch it, before Olivia could try to get out of the way, the blue motorcycle, sans the Darby boy, threw itself at full speed towards the robot, transformed into another robot and kicked him on the chest. The former motorcycle somersaulted backwards and landed gracefully before charging once more against the gray robot.

"We really need to get out of here," the Darby boy said as he ran to Olivia. The kid had a look on his face that was a weird mixture of being worried and of 'this is my daily life'.

"What about your friend?" Olivia asked. She almost said 'your motorcycle' instead, but something about the whole thing told her it would be rude somehow.

The boy turned his head towards the fight. "Don't worry about Arcee. She can handle herself. And help is on its way, but Starscream is dangerous."

A she. Now that he mentioned it, it made sense given her frame. She was also the best fighter of the two robots. Still, the gray one, Starscream, had his missiles—one in each arm—, and his long fingers—claws—seemed to be closer each time to hit on the mark. More importantly, Arcee had saved her even after she chased them and nearly shoot one of them earlier that day.

Olivia looked around and found a rock a few meters away, big enough to hide one person. "Go there and remain hidden," she said to the boy.

"What? But—"

"Go!" Olivia ordered, more harshly than before. "Now!"

This time, the boy complied.

Olivia went back into the van and started the engine one more time.

Neither robot expected the van. The one called Arcee figured out quickly that the vehicle wasn't aimed at her, and tried to distract Starscream and buy Olivia more time. When he noticed the van, he tried to jump away, his face twisted in surprise and maybe a little bit of panic. But it was too late.

Olivia registered two things before the impact: one, Starscream seemed to have forgotten he could fly, and two, he was wearing high heels.

After that, things got complicated.

Starscream fell on his side, grunting. Olivia jumped off the now flat-nosed and probably ruined van, aiming her gun at the robot's eye, the part that had the more chances of being the most fragile, now within reach. She was aware that it most likely didn't amount to anything, but she needed to do something. "Stay were you are," she said as firmly as she would to a human crook.

A click sounded behind her, and another voice, female now, said, "You heard her, Decepticon." It had to be Arcee. Olivia didn't turn around to check. The look on Starscream's face made it clear. He was too expressive for a robot. She wasn't sure if Walter not being there was a shame or a blessing.

It was right then that it began to dawn on Olivia what she had done. What she was doing. And she remembered why she was there to begin with. "Anyone wanting to shoot bystanders because of one lousy day gets a direct entry in my 'bad guys' book," Olivia said, addressing Arcee, "but we still need to talk."

"I guess there's no use to hiding anymore—" Arcee began, but a portal opened at their right. It was a portal, somewhat like the one Jones had opened, but in green. That had to be the help the Darby boy mentioned.

Except that the robots that came through began to shoot at Arcee.

"Scrap!" Arcee yelled, dodging the lasers and shooting some of her own from her arms to the newcomers.

Olivia lowered her guard, distracted by the chaos, realizing she needed to find cover. But when she tried to move away, Starscream grabbed her. She turned her head to see his cruel smile as he got up, although only for a second. "At least I won't leave empty handed," he said.

The next thing Olivia knew, she was in the cockpit of an F-16, one that flew directly to the still open green portal.


	2. Chapter 2

"What do you mean the 'Cons have a federal agent?" Fowler yelled over the phone.

"She'd been following us all day," Jack explained. "Starscream showed up at the worst moment and took her."

"If you had feds on your tail why didn't you call me?"

"We tried! But you were out of reach."

Fowler rubbed his face with his hand. Curse those meetings. Although this one had been important, not that it eased his mind. "We all know the Autobots will at least try to get her back, right?" he said, mostly to himself. "I'll be in the Autobot base in less than ten minutes." 

"I'll tell them."

Both of them hung up. 

Fowler went to his chopper, a plan already forming in his head. He'd call one of his contacts in the Bureau to find out about this agent and why she was in Jasper after the 'Bots. Then, when they rescued her, he'd have some quality time with her to do damage control. Or maybe he'd let Optimus Prime himself take care of it. The big bot had a way with words, and he managed to always sound reasonable, even when Fowler didn't agree with what he was saying. 

He didn't doubt they'll get this agent back. The 'Bots had rescued him from the Nemesis before, after all. They could do it again. The worse thing right now was the thought of someone else going through the same thing he had not that long ago. Fowler still had dreams of Energon going through his system. 

He was putting on his helmet when his phone rang again. "Fowler. Make this quick. I'm in a hurry."

"Very well," said the voice on the other side of the line, each word pronounced slowly, noticeably on purpose. Fowler rolled his eyes as he waited for the rest. "My name's Peter Bishop. I'm a consultant for the FBI, and we need to talk to you."

Fowler muttered a couple of words he'd never dare to say in front of June Darby. "Listen, we have everything under control. We'll have your agent back and unharmed as soon as possible."

"Back? Unharmed? From what? Did anything happen to agent Dunham?"

Fowler winced. "Just let everything to us," he added still with the 'I-know-what-I'm-doing' tone of voice. "We'll keep in contact." He hung up. That should buy him some time. The chopper took off and Fowler proceeded to ignore all the calls from Bishop's number. 

* * *

"Oh, no, you're not doing this to me," Peter said after his third unanswered call—the first one to Olivia—, as he plugged his phone to his laptop and began to work.

"What is it, son?" Walter asked, coming out from the bathroom. He'd just woken up from his nap. He'd washed his his face, but it still was little puffed up. "Where is agent Dunham?"

"That's what I'm trying to find out."

Walter got closer to Peter and peered into the screen. "Are you doing more of that tracking of yours?"

"I am. But this one will be a lot easier."

"Oh, good. I'll be on this side of the bed in silence not distracting you." He zipped up his lips symbolically and sat down, his hands on his lap.

Peter rolled his eyes, but couldn't help a small smile.

He got what he wanted quickly. Fowler was moving fast, probably by air, but he wasn't far from town. Luckily, he was moving in a straight line. Peter dug up some data to extrapolate where Fowler could be going to and found information about an abandoned missile silo in that direction. He didn't have to look any further, since it was in the vicinity of the silo that he lost the signal of Fowler's phone. 

He got up and picked up his jacket. 

"Did you find agent Dunham?" Walter asked.

Peter flinched. He'd been so caught up on what he was doing and Walter had been so good in keeping quiet he'd forgotten his father was there. He hesitated for a second, but leaving the old man unsupervised in an unknown town was a very bad idea. Thus, he picked up a second jacket. "Come on, Walter. We're renting a car."

* * *

"It was supposed to be easy: get in, snuff one of the Autobot's pets in front of them, get out. But no. You had to get cocky, didn't you, human?" Except for the lack of fluids, Starscream spat the last word at Olivia, whom he still held in his hand while walking through a long series of corridors. 

Nothing around them looked like anything she'd seen before. For all she knew, she could be in another planet or even another dimension. The one Jones tried to go to or a different one altogether, in the end it didn't matter. She still needed to escape.

Starscream talked and talked like if everything bad that had ever happened to him was Olivia's fault, and he obviously liked the sound of his voice. He wasn't gentle either while handling her, but at least he gave her enough room to to breathe. Perhaps she could make him tell her what she needed.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Olivia said. "But I'd like to clear things up. I'm not who you think I am."

He laughed. "You have a disproportionate sense of importance, don't you, sack of meat? Well, in any case, I still have to decide what to do with you. I'm certain you'd make a fine—"

"STARSCREAM!"

"—present for my master, yes. A nice, thoughtful present." He smiled in a nervous, servile manner as he turned around to face an even bigger and meaner-looking robot. Starscream bowed down. "Lord Megatron."

Megatron's stance made him look like a general, one with very sharp teeth. On his left there was a dark blue robot, about the size of Starscream, more alien-looking and a lot more menacing, like a mantis ready to catch its prey when the time is right.

"You have a lot of explaining to do, Starscream," Megatron said. "I would tell you to start by why I had to send my troops to rescue you from one miserable Autobot, but now I am more curious as to why you brought a human to my ship."

A ship. That was important information. Now that she thought about it, they had to be on Earth since she could breathe. It was reasonable to think these guys didn't have lungs. 

Starscream laughed tensely. "This? How—how nice of you to notice, my liege. This is one of the Autobot's friends! I thought you might like a hostage, so I just brought you one!" He extended his arm, offering Olivia to Megatron.

Megatron looked at her from the corner of his eye, but his attention remained on Starscream. "You are aware, I suppose, that your recent string of failures demand more than one measly present to keep you in one piece."

"Well, I'm sure that—I mean…"

The blue robot stepped forward.

"What is it, Soundwave?" Megatron asked. Even though he still sounded demanding, there was slightly more respect on his voice than when he addressed Starscream.

Soundwave didn't reply. Out loud. Instead, on the screen that was his face appeared a stream of data in a set of characters Olivia didn't recognize. Until her photograph showed up, followed by Walter's. Then, a longer stream of data. Finally, only both photographs remained, side to side.

Megatron raised his eyebrows—was it appropriate to call them that?—and made an appreciative noise before looking at Olivia. "This human isn't a known associate of the Autobots," he said to a quivering Starscream. "Yet, she might be useful." He turned to Starscream. "I'll allow you to keep your wings for another day. Make sure to lock her up. For the moment, my attention is required elsewhere." He turned around to leave.

"Wait! What do you want with Walter?" Olivia asked, but the only answer was Starscream shaking her in his hand as he told her to remain quiet.

* * *

"Agent Olivia Dunham," Fowler said to the Autobots. "She's in the Fringe division—"

"As in the wacko science?"

"Yes, Miko, as in the wacko science. They are in charge of investigating everything out of the norm—"

"Like aliens?"

"I guess. But she and her team came to Jasper because of the photo swapping."

"Finding the exact location was a chance of one in a billion!" Rafael exclaimed, all panicky. 

"Well, we found our billion. But that's not the point right now."

"Agent Fowler is correct," Optimus intervened. "Our top priority will be to recover the kidnapped agent." He turned to Fowler. "You mentioned she's part of a team. Where are the others?"

"In a hotel in town. They're civilian consultants, not agents. As such, they don't have any authority, so they have to stay put and wait. We won't get any trouble from them."

"In any case, we will have to do some waiting ourselves," Ratchet said. "There is only so much we can do until we figure out the location of the Nemesis. As usual."

"As far as I could see, that agent is a tough one," Arcee said. "And she doesn't know anything about us beyond the fact that we exist."

"Even if Megatron can't extract from her any information pertinent to the Autobots, he still could find a way to use her for his advantage," Optimus said. 

Like using her as a hostage to get something from you, Fowler thought. He wondered if the rest of the 'Bots were thinking something about those lines. 

Their waiting began monitoring all know Decepticon communication channels, looking for any sign of activity.

Not much later, the movement sensor began to flash on the control panel. "Humans," Ratchet informed. "They're checking a map on the hood of their car. It's not unusual. People get lost sometimes. They'll go away as soon as they figure their way out." He waved his hand in dismissal and turned the alarm off, promptly forgetting about it. Everyone else did too.

* * *

"This is the place," Peter said. He folded the map again. "And yet there is no welcoming committee. That worries me. Although, it could be that they're just feeling cocky, with a camouflage like this and the official story of the abandoned silo. Still, it has to be an entrance somewhere." He looked around. Walter did too. 

They found only the desert.

"An entrance perhaps, but it doesn't have to be a door," Walter said. "At least not like the one you're thinking about. They have a teleportation machine, after all."

Peter clicked his tongue. To avoid saying a dirty word in front of his father, certainly. That was nice of him. "Regardless," Peter said, "it won't hurt to take a look."

"No, I suppose not. Let's go, then."

Peter made that face he did whenever he was about to say something Walter wouldn't like. "I think it'll be better if you wait in the car. I'll just move it closer to the shade and away from the road." 

Walter twisted his mouth. He knew he wouldn't be of much use if the scenario got physical, but that didn't mean a comment like that didn't hurt.

"Listen, Walter, if anyone comes out, I made you come here and you don't know anything, understood?"

"Fine," he grumbled. He wanted to be more cooperative, but Peter made it so hard. 

Peter sighed, nodded and then left his father to barbecue inside the car while he looked for an entrance to the mountain that may not even exist. Granted, there were only a couple of daytime hours left, but it was the thought that mattered. Moreover, even if the water bottle next to him was not a bad choice—technically—to keep him hydrated, he wouldn't have minded a nice, cold, delicious smoothie instead.

A short while after Peter got out of sight, Walter heard a noise close behind him. He turned around to see a green truck leaving the mountain. Not just any green truck, but the one that helped the yellow car earlier in the day. "The secret entrance!" Walter muttered, running towards it. When he got there, the doors were closing down. With no way to bring Peter back in time. Walter decided to make a run for it and do his part to help.

He barely made it.

Walter's jacket paid the price of his boldness. One of its corners got caught in the door, forcing him to leave it there in order to move on. He just hoped Peter wouldn't get mad at him. It was a new jacket. Anyway, some prices must be paid to move forward in this world, and Walter would endure the scolding if it meant he could get some information on Agent Dunham's whereabouts.

* * *

"So, you got jealous of the Autobots and went to get your own human companion?" said a red robot in a mocking voice. He was leaning against the wall on the way to wherever Starscream was taking Olivia.

"Oh, Knock Out, just the mech I was looking for. Lord Megatron wants you to watch over our prisoner while I attend more important matters," Starscream said as he pushed her onto Knock Out's hand.

"What?" he said as he took her out of reflex and looked at her in disbelief. 

Olivia nearly chorused that exclamation. This was something she wasn't expecting, specially since she'd seen the fear Megatron instilled in Starscream. Yet, it could be useful to know about the chain of command on this ship, and the kind of people that was in charge.

Starscream flexed his hand, like if had been such a torture to hold her for so long. "Be careful. He wants her in one piece."

"But Starscream—" 

"I'm sure you have something in the medical bay that can be used as a cage. Or you could put her in Breakdown's vehicle mode. Whatever suits you," Starscream said as he turned around the corner of the corridor.

Knock Out closed his mouth and glared at Olivia. "Great. Like if I didn't have anything better to do." He sighed the most dramatic sigh Olivia had ever heard. "Well," he continued. His body language was extremely prolific. "Since all I have to do is keep you unharmed and within reach for when Megatron calls for you, I suppose I can do this." He got her close to his eyes. There was a harsher expression on his face now. "So you better behave."

Olivia swallowed. "I can do that."

"Good."

Knock Out took her through another set of corridors. The sheer size of this place was unnerving. But there was also the many other robots they kept encountering. They were all of the same model. It was like a uniform. 

Soldiers.

This was an army. And they wanted Walter.

Olivia began to make soft, whimpering noises. 

"What is it?" Knock Out growled.

"I think Starscream hurt my leg," she replied. "He shook me too much."

"Argh! Frag it! Your bodies are so fragile and inefficient I have no idea why you even bother to exist." He raised Olivia to his eye level. "It's a shame I can't just have it replaced with a new one. Your kind has this habit of bleeding and dying soon after the mere removal of a single limb. And cleaning up afterward? Ugh. Anyway, which leg?"

"Left."

Knock Out poked her leg with one of his long, pointy fingers more carefully that she'd expected. "Good news: it's still attached. Better news: I don't need to bother with anything since you don't have to walk."

"How do you know? I mean, I don't even know what Megatron wants me for. He might want me to pick up some package for him, for all I know. Not being able to walk wouldn't make it any easier."

Knock Out snorted. "Nice try."

"Are you willing to risk it? You heard it: you boss wants me in one piece. Can you trust Starscream not to tell him it was your fault instead of his that I can't move on my own?"

That did bring a cloud of doubt to Knock Out. It really was disturbing being able to read the robot's expressions so easily. "What would you want me to do? I'm a Cybertronian doctor, not a… a veterinarian or whatever it's called what you use."

"I know of a place, near from where Starscream took me. If I give you the address you can check it and see there's a nurse living there."

"And going through Soundwave? No thank you."

Olivia sighed inwardly in relief. She didn't want to give him the Darbys address but, as she learned from Peter, it was easier to bluff using the truth.

"Listen," Knock Out said, "I'll take you to that place you say. You get your leg treated. We come back. No funny business or," he turned his free hand into a saw, one that was quite functional, "I'll be the one laughing. Understood?"

"Loud and clear."

Knock Out turned his hand to normal and pressed his ear with his finger. "Breakdown, I need you in the medical bay immediately."

* * *

The first sign of Decepticon activity the team Prime picked up was a transmission by Megatron himself. "Optimus, I know you're listening, so I'll be brief. As you undoubtedly know by now, there is a human on my ship. A human I have no use for. However, there is one other whose expertise will benefit me. These two humans know each other, thus he might be willing to cooperate. I want you to bring him to me. He'll do what I'll require of him and they will both walk away free and unharmed. Of course, I'm not asking for a favor. If you either refuse or want to play one of your tricks, I will personally dispose of the one I have and go get the other from wherever he is hiding." 

As soon as the message was finished, the profile of the person Megatron wanted to exchanged agent Dunham for appeared on the screen, along with the time and place for the delivery, or so Fowler hoped.

"Doctor Walter Bishop," Ratchet read out loud.

"Bishop?" Fowler asked. "I spoke with a Peter Bishop before coming here."

"That would be me," a hesitant voice said from the tunnel that lead to the road. Everyone, human and 'Bot turned around to see an elderly man walking slowly towards them, his hands raised at both sides of his head. "Walter, I mean. Peter is my son. You were talking about Olivia, is that correct? Is she hurt? I want to help. She's—she's a friend… She's family, and I owe her. I—I want to help. Please."

* * *

Olivia crossed the green portal for the second time that day, this time around inside the big brute of a van Knock Out had hidden her into to smug her out of the Nemesis. He'd told Soundwave they had some business to attend and that had been all. Of course, Soundwave couldn't have a clue of what they were up to, since Megatron's order had been for Starscream to watch over her, not Knock Out. Olivia realized how lucky she was for these robots to behave like giant thugs with their own agendas.

Now, for the next part of her plan. 

They still hadn't asked her for the exact address. Breakdown only requested instructions as they went along. It was getting darker. Pretending to be lost wasn't difficult.

"It's the second time I'm in this town," Olivia said. She made her best effort to sound scared. "I need to check that garden. There was one plant that caught my eye in the corner before my friend's house."

"How was that plant?" Knock Out said through the intercom in Breakdown's panel. He was behind them, transformed into a nice red car, and he sounded quite annoyed.

"Pretty?"

Knock Out growled. "Breakdown, let her out. She can't go far with that leg anyway."

"As you say."

The door opened. Olivia got out slowly. Every step she took had to look like the most excruciating thing she had ever done. She had been in real pain before, and she'd seen people in pain. She knew how every muscle on your face twisted when it was there for real. So she limped and bit her lips and looked as despaired as he could. Until she got to the fence of that garden. Then, she ran as fast as she could away from her guardians. If she was right, they were completely forbidden to take their humanoid forms where humans could see them. 

She really hoped she was right.

Olivia could hear Knock Out berating Breakdown as they began to chase her. It wasn't that bad. There were two of them and many ways she could take. Besides, they didn't know where she was going.

She took several turns and remained hidden in the darkness as long as she could, taking advantage of her size. 

It took her a while of going through bushes and alleys, but she managed to get where she was going. Luckily, the door was unlocked. She entered and closed it behind her, ready to take her biggest gamble of the day. 

"Jack, I thought you'd be coming home later," Mrs. Darby said, but she stopped cold when she saw the stranger staring at her.

"My name is Olivia Dunham. I need Arcee's help."


	3. Chapter 3

"Peter Bishop? I'm agent William Fowler. We talked over the phone."

Peter rolled his eyes and fought the urge to hit the car. It was rented, after all. He had just discovered his father wasn't where he left him, and, judging by the lack of any other set of footprints, he did it by his own accord. After venting verbally his frustration, Peter was about to go looking for him when this happened. 

"Great. Now you show up," he mumbled, turning around carefully, his hands on the air. He dropped them when he saw Fowler wasn't holding a weapon. Besides, even though he looked like someone used to be in charge, there was nothing overtly threatening about his body language. Still, Peter thought it better to play it safe. "Listen, Walter is just an old man, and not exactly one right in the head. I made him come here. He has nothing to do with this."

"Quite the contrary," Fowler said. "He has everything to do with this. If you follow me, I can show you—"

"Please, don't tell me he broke the universe again."

"Excuse me?"

"In-joke. Don't mind me." He began walking alongside Fowler. "What is going on, agent? Where is agent Dunham and what did my father do?"

Fowler breathed deeply. "Doctor Bishop hasn't done anything. But the enemy who kidnapped agent Dunham wants something from him."

Peter stared at Fowler with his mouth open for a long second. "Kidnapped?" he asked. "What— Why didn't you tell me that over the phone?"

Right that instant, before them opened a huge gate to a tunnel that lead to the interior of the mountain. "What you are about to see, Mr. Bishop, is top secret. I hope that a) you understand fully what that means, and b) you're not easily impressionable." He went into the tunnel. 

"I've seen some weird things in my time. Most of them since the FBI hired me," he replied as the gate closed behind them.

"Good. Look, usually these guys leave us humans alone while they handle their own business, and they have way better technology. We can't even begin to understand what they want from doctor Bishop."

"Wait. Wait. Wait. Are you saying that aliens have agent Dunham and they want my father?"

"Yes. That's exactly what I'm saying," Fowler said without hesitation. That only made it worse. "And doctor Bishop already agreed to the exchange."

No, wait. Now it was worse. "What?"

"It isn't as bad as it sounds. We have alien enemies, but also alien allies." They took the last turn in the tunnel and stood in what should be the old silo, the heart of the mountain. "Welcome to the Autobot base on Earth, Mr. Bishop."

The first thing that caught Peter's eyes when he stepped into the silo's main chamber was the yellow car that the Fringe team followed when they arrived to Jasper. Then, the car promptly transformed into a humanoid robot. One with very big eyes. Peter gaped and turned around, only to see more of humanoid robots in different shapes and sizes. 

Walter clung to his arm. He was bouncier and happier than Peter had seen him before. He took a lollipop out his mouth to say, "Look, son! Look! Isn't wonderful? Giant robots from outer space! And they're alive!"

* * *

"It's good you came here," Mrs. Darby said. She dialed a number in her cell phone after Olivia told her what had happened. "Raf and Miko's parents don't know anything about the Autobots. I only do because one of them kidnapped me once."

"Do they do it often?" Olivia asked.

"Not that I know of. And I want to believe that's something my son won't hide from me now that I'm in," Mrs. Darby replied in a stern, mom-like tone. "Hello, Ratchet," she said to the phone. "Yes, I know, but this is important too. There's an FBI agent in my house who wants to talk to Arcee. Just a second, please." She put the speaker on, but passed Olivia the phone nonetheless. "Direct line to the Autobot base."

Olivia had to smile at the matter-of-fact way of Mrs. Darby. That is what regular meetings with the strange do to you, she thought. 

"Mom!" was the first thing she heard. It was Jack. He sounded like he was having a panic attack. Olivia didn't blame him. "Are there 'Cons in the house too?"

"No, they're not, Jack," Mrs. Darby said.

"Don't worry, kid, I gave them the slip," Olivia said.

"You gave them the slip?" asked another voice, a very old voice that sounded incredulous. "To Starscream and Megatron?"

"Knock Out and Breakdown, actually, but yeah," Olivia replied. Next, she gave them a summarize account of what had happened after Starscream kidnapped her.

"I told you she was tough," Arcee said somewhere in the background.

"Olivia! Are you alright?" That was Peter.

"So, I won't have to be exchanged to an evil overlord from outer space anymore?" Walter.

"Yes, I'm alright. What are you two doing there?"

"Long story," Peter said. "The ones who held you captive wanted to exchange you for Walter."

"Not that I was looking forward to it. Not at all," Walter chimed in.

Olivia sighed. She'd get the full story out of Peter later. "Then you already know. Good."

"But didn't Megatron say he would try to capture doctor Bishop regardless?" asked another voice. A girl. It had to be Miko.

"That would be terrible!" Walter. 

"Don't worry, Walter, they won't get you," Peter.

"Of course they won't," Olivia said. "But I'm still worried about what they might want with Walter."

"Mr. Bishop," said yet another voice. "When you said your father broke the universe, how literal did you mean it?"

"Quite literal, agent Fowler." Walter replied instead of Peter. "I mean, I made a tear in the fabric of space to a parallel universe which may have caused some consequences here and there… But they've already been dealt with!"

There was a tense silence broke only by a "Walter…" by Peter.

"Don't get upset, son. While I do have an impressive record of scientific achievements, this is the only thing I can think of that could attract the attention of an alien with superior technology."

"Our civilization does have technology for instant travel even between planets," said one of the first voices, the one to show amazement at Olivia's escape. "But to think about going to another universe…"

"If that is indeed Megatron's plan, then he must be stopped before he can even start," said a new voice. The tone made obvious that it belonged to the one in charge.

"I'll go back," Olivia said. "It will be easier to get information with someone inside."

"What? Olivia, no!" Peter said.

"Agent Dunham, this is agent Fowler from the US Army. I happen to know first hand how ruthless the Decepticons are. As such, I strongly advice against this route of action."

"Agent Fowler, they have an army up there," Olivia replied. "I didn't see the extent of it, but if I got one thing clear, is that they are dangerous. If they manage to open up a portal, what are the chances of the people in the parallel universe to have the friends you do to help them?"

"The 'Cons have shown no interest in attacking or conquering Earth. They dig up in mines to get fuel, but—"

"Then, they'll get access to more resources. Which is also bad, don't you think?"

"Agent Dunham, my name is Optimus Prime." said the one in charge. "While I am unwilling to risk the loss of even one human life, you raise fair points. Megatron should not be allowed the opportunity to find a way to a different universe, if that is indeed his plan. And even if it's not, his interest in one who can do such thing should be discouraged. Agent, you succeeded escaping the Decepticon warship alive and well, something not many have been able to do, specially alone and without aid. That alone proves you are brave and resourceful."

"Thank you, sir," Olivia said out of reflex. Something in that voice made her feel proud of herself after listening to that praise.

"We will pretend to continue with the negotiations," Optimus continued but Walter interrupted.

"You can use me as bait," he said. "It would look more real, wouldn't it? And you keep quiet, Peter, I want to help too. I'm sure you can find something to do as well if you put your mind to it!"

Peter didn't say a word, but Olivia pictured him either facepalming or raising his hands in defeat. The task ahead looked hard, but the familiarity of those gestures brought some light to the present.

Olivia listened to the rest Optimus had to say. It was a sound plan. They could do this.

*

Breakdown and Knock Out were the only cars frantically coming and going in the area, which made them easy to spot. Olivia came out from an alley behind them, hitting trash cans on her way down to the floor.

Both vehicles turned around to her, pointing their headlights at her. "Well, well. What do we have here?" Knock Out said. He sounded happy in a way that helped Olivia to fake fear.

"I—I'm sorry…" she mumbled. She made herself smaller, and pretended to look around to find a way to escape. She saw several, but that wasn't part of the plan.

Knock Out moved toward her slowly. If he was in his robot mode, the effect would've been worse, but it was still creepy. "Of course you're sorry, human. But you'll be even more sorry when I'm done with you."

"Knock Out," Breakdown intervened, "didn't you say lord Megatron wanted her in one piece?" 

Knock Out sighed loudly. "Fiiiiine," he whined. "But when lord Megatron is done with her, if there is something left, it's mine." He opened his trunk and turned to Olivia, who hadn't moved from her place. "You, get inside. I'll make sure you won't get away again."

Olivia complied.

Soon, she was back to the Nemesis. Everything was according to plan.

*

Olivia spent the next couple of hours inside a big metallic box in what she guessed was the medical bay. At least, it was clean and had some holes on the top. As sad as it is, she'd been caged in worse places. Still, she didn't forget to whimper once in a while, just to make Knock Out happy.

Eventually, Starscream showed up. "It is time. I will deliver the prisoner to lord Megatron personally," he said as he picked her up from the box.

"Yeah, whatever," Knock Out replied. 

They left the medical bay. Breakdown followed them.

"You didn't run into too much trouble, I'm sure," Starscream said.

"Oh, please. How much trouble can a small human be."

Olivia stopped herself from smiling with the corner of her mouth. How much trouble indeed. Yet, the way Knock Out said it, if she hadn't been there causing the trouble, she would've probably believed him. 

"You know, Starscream?" Knock Out continued casually. "You even could've even it all by yourself." He sang-song the last three words.

Judging by the low hissing sound Starscream made, he got the message. "For your information," he said, remarking every word, "I had important matters to attend, thank you very much."

Knock Out snickered at the same time they went in to the control room.

"Good. Right on time," Megatron said. "Soundwave, open the ground bridge."

The other side of the portal opened to a canyon. Where exactly in the world, it was impossible to tell. 

More than a handful of troopers remained besides their commander while the rest —most of them, actually— hid behind rocks on either side.

"How brave of you," Olivia mumbled, although loud enough to be heard.

Starscream shook her. "Watch your mouth, human."

"Careful, Starscream," Megatron said. "We still need her." He turned to her. "So, you are one of those noble creatures who want everything to be fair? Well, I have to inform you that I am here to win."

"To win what?" Olivia replied. "You're after one old man who needs a caretaker around day and night to remind him about most basic tasks."

Megatron laughed. "Where did you get the idea that I need him doing basic tasks? Do you pretend to make me believe you don't know about his life's work."

Olivia gasped.

Megatron continued gloating, one hand behind his back and the other one raised up high, moving like if he was a politician giving a speech. "So, you understand now. We Cybertronians have mastered the technology for instant travel even between planets. Yet, to go to another dimension… All the advantages that could give us!"

"But what if you find another you on the other side?" Olivia asked. 

Megatron turned sharply toward her, his eyebrows raised. Even Starscream and Knock Out were gaping at her when moments ago they were in awe of Megatron's plan.

Olivia got a hold of the momentum. "Just think about it. What would you do if another Megatron came here for the resources you have?"

Megatron closed his fist. "There's no guarantee—"

"There's no guarantee you'll find one or not, I agree. But also there's no guarantee either that he's even more prepared, with a better army. Or that you won't find a universe where the Autobots won the war."

"Master," Knock Out interrupted. "Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to reconsider—"

"Quiet!" Megatron yelled.

Everyone did. Even Olivia. Her point had been made. 

Megatron was having a battle with himself —metaphorically. At least so far. Or maybe he was trying to find a way to cancel his plan without losing face. However, in the end he didn't have to make any public statement on the matter.

A new ground bridge opened on the other side of the canyon, and the Autobots entered the scene. It was the first time Olivia saw any of them, besides Arcee, and she liked what she saw. It was easy to match the voice of Optimus Prime with the huge and grave figure who walked in first. Behind him, came Arcee, a yellow robot and a green one. The one they chased and the one she nearly shot at. Olivia still had to apologize for it. Walter was sitting down on the green robot's shoulder; he looked as delighted as Olivia thought he would. She was only happy that he got to be with the good guys in this.

Megatron turned to the newcomers acting like if doubt had never crossed his mind. "Ah, Optimus. So glad you could join us. And I see you found the one I wanted."

"Against my better judgment, Megatron," Optimus accepted. "Even if he agreed to help his friend. Now, let the human go."

Megatron made a sign to Starscream, who lowered Olivia to the ground, although he still didn't release her.

"In the count of three," Megatron said.

Optimus nodded to the robot carrying Walter. The old man jumped into his hand of his own volition, and thus he was also took to the ground gently.

"One," Megatron said, "two… THREE!"

Starscream opened his hand releasing Olivia at the same time Megatron began shooting at his enemies, surprising everyone. Except for maybe Olivia and the Autobots. Even the Decepticon troopers took their time to react, and when they did, they didn't have a clear target anymore.

The green robot immediately took Walter behind the rocks to their right to provide him with cover as the yellow one and Arcee shot back. Optimus transformed into a semi-trailer truck and drove toward Megatron, deftly dodging enemy fire.

Olivia took advantage of Starscream's state of surprise and ran away as fast as she could. No one was aiming at her, but that didn't mean she couldn't get hurt. She had to trust her instinct and her ears to make turns to avoid debris.

When she was close to Optimus, he transformed back to his robot form and leaped over her. Olivia cringed out of reflex. She felt surrounded by Optimus's hands and, one second later, she was on the passenger seat of his truck mode, with no clear idea of how it had happened. But she was fine. That much she knew.

"Autobots, retreat!" Optimus ordered.

Their ground bridge opened again and the other Autobots —presumably with Walter— crossed through it, followed by Optimus Prime and Olivia, who for the first time was engulfed in the green buzzing of the portal to safety.

She felt herself taking a very deep breath.


	4. Epilogue

"It was the most amazing adventure I've ever had and I can't even take a picture with me!" Walter said, frowning.

"Hey, don't worry," Miko said, holding up her cell phone. "I'll take them and you can come back and see them whenever you want."

That soothed the old man. "You promise?"

"Of course! Now say cheese!"

Walter combed his hair with his hand and straightened his shirt before smiling and saying 'cheese' as he stood next to Ratchet, who rolled his eyes but remained quiet while the photograph was being taken.

"Agent Dunham," Fowler was saying on the other side of the room, "your efforts won't be neither forgotten nor overlooked." He reached out his hand. "Rest assured that you and your team made good friends here."

Olivia shook his hand. "Thank you, agent Fowler. But," she turned her head to include Optimus, "are we sure Megatron won't go after Walter again?"

"Megatron was forced to acknowledge the fault within his plan," Optimus said. "He has enough self awareness to realize the disaster he would bring upon himself if he were to follow that curse of action." The big robot smiled a little. "I am certain he will leave your friend alone."

Olivia smiled back. "I believe you," she saluted, "sir."

"To be honest," Peter said to Raf, "I'm a fan of how you've been misleading everyone."

"Well, I created the game, after all," the boy replied. "And I have a couple sockpuppets in the forum with different opinions. I have a lot of fun."

Peter laughed. "Kid, you have a lot of potential. Stay in touch and I'll help you reach it."

Raf laughed as well. "Maybe I will."

"Are you sure you can't stay? It would be nice to have someone around who can keep my pace for a change," Arcee said to Olivia, followed by a 'Hey!' by Jack.

"I'd love to, but I have my own battlers to fight. Besides, I can't leave those two unsupervised," Olivia answered, followed by a 'Hey!' by Peter. 

Both Olivia and Arcee chuckled. "Keep in touch," the later said.

Olivia nodded. "I will." She turned to Peter. "The car you used to get here is still out there?"

"Yep. Or at least I very much hope so."

"Good. We'll going to need it. The van is out of commission."

"Great! Now that the FBI is going to pay, I'll give you the bill for the car's rent later."

Olivia shook her head.

After saying their final goodbyes to team Prime, the Fringe team got ready to get back to Boston and report that they had found nothing. 

"Astrid is not going to be happy about this," Peter said.

"Neither will be miss Sharp if they already found something," Olivia said.

"I'm sure they can keep a secret if we ask nicely," Walter replied. 

"I think we better pick up some flowers on the way from the airport to the lab," Peter said.

"But flowers could cause Gene an indigestion!" Walter exclaimed. 

Peter rolled his eyes as he drove the car into the sunset while Olivia made her best to keep quiet and Walter looked from one to the other worried about his cow.

None of them saw the Observer looking at them leave Jasper from a nearby hill.


End file.
